Tanya Crevier performs across the country at clinics, camps, churches and half-time presentations. She is a special guest speaker/performer with the bill glass Evangelistic Prison Ministry and has also worked with the fellowship of Christian Athletes. A graduate of South Dakota State university, she played three years in the Women's Pro Basketball League before performing her current basketball show full-time. For booking information, please write: Tanya Crevier RR 1, Box 6, Jefferson, South Dakota 57038

 Tanya Crevier

Who have been the most influential persons in your life? For me it's been my parents. They've always given me lots of love and encouragement. By growing up in a big family, I learned, through my folks, the value of teamwork and what it takes to be a winner.

I think about these lessons whenever I perform in front of an audience, spinning, dribbling and juggling basketballs. It's something I've been doing since college. Athletics meant everything to me then. It was fun to set new goals, learn new drills, and then perform at half-time of the men's games.

There had to be more...

But despite my achievements growing up, I felt something missing on the inside. I knew there had to be something more to life than going to school every day. There had to be more than competing in sports, but I didn't know what it was. I started to wonder about my purpose in life.

I thought of my older brothers, Maurice and Marc. They were confident. They knew who they were and where they were going in life. I saw real stability in their lives that I wanted for myself. It was the same kind of stability I saw in my college roommate, Jackie.

They told me how I could find real peace of mind and contentment, and experience true fulfillment in life.

"I really want to be closer to God," I told them. I had always tried to please God, yet I felt I was falling short. They explained that the Bible says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) No matter how good I was on the outside, through my sin I fell short of God's standard. But Maurice and Marc told me that God had an answer.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not parish but have eternal life." (John 3:26)

My brothers said all I had to do was believe in faith that Jesus Christ is who He said He is. Jesus had given me an invitation: "Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20) When I heard that, I opened the door and experienced Christ's love. I experienced that truth of the Bible when it said, "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9) This meant I was free of sin and guilt.

My life has never been the same...

From that day on, my life has never been the same. By knowing Jesus Christ personally, I've felt an incredible peace inside. The more I know Christ the more time I want to spend with Him. In a way, practicing my faith and practicing a sport are a lot alike: The more time I spend working on my basketball show, the better I become, and the more I enjoy it. Likewise, the more time I spend with god, the better I get to know him, and the more I enjoy Him.

Now, just because I'm a Christian doesn't mean that everything is going to be great. It does mean that I have One who can solve my problems. When I face struggles, or need to make a decision in my life, I think of the Bible verse that says, "Cast your burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain you." (Psalm 55:22)

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